West Hartford Police Bust Hookah Hooker

September 04, 2014|By DAVID OWENS, dowens@courant.com

WEST HARTFORD — After 24-year-old Moeed Malik refused to pay for a sexual encounter with Yamilet Mattei, a woman he contacted through a sexually oriented website, the woman snatched three hookahs from the shelves of Smokers' Discount World in Bishop's Corner, according to a police report.

The encounter occurred in a backroom of the shop at Crossroads Plaza the afternoon of Aug. 28. Malik, who was working at the store, initially told the woman he was setting up an encounter for his uncle, the report says.

But when Mattei, 18, of Holyoke, Mass., arrived at the shop about 2:30 p.m. Aug. 28, Malik's uncle was not there, so Mattei waited in the store's backroom, the report says. After about an hour, she decided she had waited long enough and demanded payment, police said.

That's when Malik inquired about cost of certain services, according to the report, and he and Mattei reached an agreement. He refused to pay up front, but agreed to give Mattei his iPhone as collateral, according to the police report. He promised to pay for the sex act with cash and one of the store's hookahs, Mattei told police. Police said they suspect Malik's uncle knew nothing about the incident.

Once the act was completed, Malik refused to pay, Mattei later told police. While she was arguing with Malik about payment, her friend Danielle Santos, 21, of Atlanta, showed up at the store. Mattei grabbed three hookahs from a shelf and left the store with Santos, the report says.

Malik called police to report the theft of the hookahs.

Police arrived about 4 p.m., before Mattei and Santos could leave, and began trying to sort out the different stories they were told.

Mattei eventually admitted that she was at the store because Malik contacted her after seeing her ad on the website, the report says. She admitted having sex with Malik, and said he refused to pay.

"Mattei freely admitted that she took the hookahs from Smoker's Discount World because Malik was refusing to compensate her as agreed upon," according to the report.

Malik's story kept changing, police said, and at one point he became belligerent with officers and began recording his interactions with them on video. He ultimately refused to give police a written statement.

Hours later, police charged Malik with patronizing a prostitute and falsely reporting an incident. He posted $2,500 bail and is due in Superior Court in Hartford Sept. 11.

Mattei was charged with prostitution and sixth-degree larceny. She was released without having to post bail and is also due in court Sept. 11.

Santos was charged with criminal mischief for smashing Malik's iPhone during the incident, and possession of less than half an ounce of marijuana. She remains in custody with bail set at $5,000.